¤ ¤ ¤

The young man leaned towards Janna with his hands resting on the heads of the armrests, his blue eyes widening with concern as he studied Janna's face "Young lady, are you alright?"

   "No..." Janna choked on the word as though she did not even want to utter a word about her loss, her hands ran back through her hair, trying to groom the bad feelings from her head. Janna gathered herself by breathing in deeply and allowing herself to stand up staring to look directly at the man "my... my father..."

Janna stopped herself from allowing the word from exiting her body I don't want to say it, I don't want to say it... I don't want him to be dead, I don't want him to be dead—

   "He passed away"

The man leaned even closer to her by shifting his arm chair closer, allowing the feet of the chair to creak on the wooden floor in the portrait, "Would you prefer to tell me what happened?" An understanding was expressed through his widening blue eyes as his eyebrows lifted "Or do you rather talk about anything else?"

Feeling foolish Janna bowed her head down to stare at the flagstones under her shoes, nevertheless she appreciated his kindness to listen to her so she shook her head while looked up at him, his blue eyes flooded with concern "I'd like to talk about him... I don't like letting things stay with me for too long" Janna wiped her eyes to removed her cold tears, she pressed her lips together convincing herself to talk.

   "Very wise," The man leaned even closer, possibly curious, with his elbows resting on his knees he knotted his fingers together to balance his head under his chin on his knuckles "might I ask what your name is?" The odd man asked gently, lifting his head from his knuckles to speak.

Janna blinked... She didn't feel like knowing her own name, she didn't want to say it. It was a new name, she didn't want a new life included with the name. Although she felt like this would help take her mind off all the upset dwellings in her head.

   "Janna Black" The words fell out her mouth, the first word was familiar but the surname was almost alien to her tongue.

    "Oho," The man seemed to be on the edge of his armchair, his blue eyes subtly sprouting smiling crowfeet "Black, you say? I was under the impression most of your family chose Slytherin house" The man gestured to Janna's robes, she glanced down at the roaring lion in front of the red background "Your family is remarkably known world wide, the fact that the family is so ancient is an influential part of its popularity. Here's a tidbit of Hogwarts history, one of your ancestors, Philius Black, was a Headmaster here at Hogwarts. I have faith you shall be more successful than your ancestors ever were"

   "I have been told I'm like my uncle and father, Sirius and Regulus Black" Janna admitted, smiling knowing she was not completely unlike her immediate family "I... I was told that my father was a brilliant Seeker and that my uncle was great friends with James Potter, Harry Potter's father... Which makes sense that I'm friends with his son, Albus Potter"

    "Hmmm" The man stroked his auburn beard that lifted as his lips pulled up to smile, he seemed to be deep in thought "My name is on the plaque, I'm curious to see if you can announce my name in one breathe, I usually ask students to do so if they come past"

Janna bent down to the golden plate on the reddish brown wood where a name in bright black letters stood out: Arbel Arcadium Lud-Eli Pilfred Bucuvir-Brown "Arbel Arcadium... Lud-Eli Pilfred Bu—bucuvir..? Brown..." Janna looked up at the man as he watched her as though anticipating a realisation of some sort "Are you sure they spelt your name right?"

Leaning back with his eyes squinting Mr. Brown laughed heartily while he stroked his auburn beard, soon he took a pipe mounted on a stack of books to puff out greenish smoke from his nostrils soon he answered with a chuckle "I'm not sure... Whomever labelled this portrait could have spelt it left for all I know"

Janna could not help but smile softly at the man before her as the green smoke mingled in his auburn moustache.

   "You're a rather strange man... Who were you at the school?" Janna asked, Brown continued to chuckle allowing rings of smoke to escape his lips, his eyes squinting with laughter as he held his hand over his  stomach.

   "Thank you, Janna, I do enjoy being different, the oddness helps me fit in here... Keeps my portrait clean from ugly thoughts." Mr. Brown took in a second puff of smoke "To answer your latter question I was a Headmaster at Hogwarts, as well as a teacher, also I invented a few ways of using dragon's blood" his eyes then stared off over Janna's head as he calmed down "I also was in search of the Deathly Hallows once..." He only moved his eyes to side-glance Janna as he asked in a lowered voice "You know what those are, don't you?"

Slowly Janna nodded, vaguely remembering the Tale of three brothers, how the first two died using their gifts for their own self gain, unlike the youngest brother who used his to avoid death... The Elder Wand... The Ressurection Stone... The Cloak of Invisibility

   "It's an old witch's tale...my..." Janna felt the bile rise in her throat to stop her from saying anything more while her stomach boiled in anguish "argh..." Janna reminisced with a deep sigh as she automatically clenched her wrist "Mr. Winslow used to tell it to me before I went to bed when I was small"

Resting his cheek on his knuckle Mr. Brown patted his purple robes' pocket, he breathed in, leaning closely to Janna "they do exist... All three objects... I, in fact, have a theory on how to use the Ressurection stone"

Janna narrowed her eyes at Mr. Brown "That thing won't bring people back, you can't just hold a rock and hope someone comes back to life all alive, even after you put it down. They'll just disappear... Or else people will be out looking for the stone"

   "Exactly" Mr. Brown nodded, snapping his fingers as his eyes turned bright and lively "you need something to provide energy for the stone... You need to mend the body to be able to tether a soul to it... Like defrosting a chicken in the oven... But this time all the feathers, the eyes, the entrails, the chicken's soul comes back, in theory it should look like the example of itself in its golden years..."

Feeling a rush of desperation in her fingertips Janna stepped closely to the painting nearly touching the frame "How do you know how all that works?"

   "Because, I have you as proof of a successful resurrection" Brown gestured to her, then he lowered his voice again "You do know how you survived nearly two decades as a unborn child?" Mr. Brown inquired with his blue eyes as though he already knew the answer but he just wanted to ask her to see if she understood? Janna pressed her lips together... I wasn't dead when I was in my mother's body... I understand this chicken theory... It's frozen like me...

Although I wasn't skinned and gutted.

     "How do I bring him back?" Janna questioned, desperately leaning on the painting's frame to jump desperately like a hungry chick demanding a worm.

Mr. Brown pressed his knuckle to his cheek, thinking as he stared off over Janna's head...

  "To start off... You will need to find a source of dark magic... Dark, terrible magic, like a Malediktus, a Dementor or a Lethifold, anything with darkness surging through it. Then to aid in the giving of life you need something called the Cite, this is vital to the Ressurection or else the life won't stay in the body you have created, the soul will be trapped in the corpse if this step is skipped or unheeded. You will attempt to bond the Cite and the Ressurection stone by bringing  them near each other, in theory these two will do so easily since they are opposites, life and death, negative and possibtive, they will draw one anther nearer to the other."

   "Where can I find the Cite?" Janna said eagerly, standing in her toes a she  watched the man think"

   "Somewhere in the castle, just ask vague questions about the Cite's whereabouts. But I must warn you, Janna, do not draw attention to yourself with this matter..." Mr. Brown pursed his lips, before leaning left to right to look around the Emily corridor "I trust you will report back to me on your results"

Janna nodded, adding "...and the Ressurection stone?"

Mr. Brown leaned back in armchair  "In the forbidden forest... You will have to search since the stone has not been seen in almost twenty years. I must suggest that you search for a clearing, you will need to find petrified trees and a patch where no grass grows... I'm certain you will find the stone there"

Taking in the fact she could now go back to Mr. Winslow Janna leaned back with her head with her hands "Are there any rules?"

   "None that I know of, you will have to find out" Mr. Brown leaned back in his arm chair "I will find you if I know more, Good Luck, Janna Black" Mr. Brown pointed to the end of the corridor "the moving staircases are to your left"

Janna moved toward the direction he pointed to, she felt giddy when her skipped ran under her "Thank you, sir!"

Waving Mr. Brown leaned forward in armchair to see Janna off,  as soon as Janna disappeared he leaned back into his armchair he sighed shaking his head while he ran his hands over his eyes "I hope this works..." Mr. Brown spoke as Snuffles moved into the room passing a stack of books while his paws patterned on the parchments "Janna will need our help if it is true that the Death Eaters are rising again"

Next to him stood a straggly dark haired man, hair that mimicked the dog's, he muttered "When may I talk to her again?"

Mr. Brown raised his wand from his robes' pocket, a rotten stick of bubbled wood which was a long sturdy elder wood body. He murmured "finite incatatum" and soon from the top of his head his hair grew long and white his beard grew up to his knees, he placed a pair of half moon glasses on his crooked nose, The man helped the transfigured man up giving his arm to the elder man "Janna will meet you when the time comes, right now, though, we need to help Janna with our mission... Every piece of the puzzle is laid out now she needs to put the picture together"

The two began to wonder out the white paned door, the study began to shrink away, the papers flew in a vortex, ripping the cotton canvas of the portrait on the outside before being sucked into the cracks of the stone walls "Why Janna? She's only twelve, her darkness is keeping her alive so we can't have her catching Lethifolds and Dementors"

   "Sirius, understand that this will help Janna, she needs the Order, we can help her now," Mr. Brown looked out onto the lawn across to the other walls were the other portraits stood, like a long hallway with different rooms, some with windows, some without doors, one of which Sirius stared at with great longing.

But soon Sirius looked into a painting at the corner of the corridor where Janna had gone down the left, her bobbing head was now disappearing down a flight of stairs "Dumbledore, I can help her..." Sirius got a glance from the old man "She knows me as Snuffles so I can help her as her uncle as well"

Dumbledore stood still he watched Sirius walk ahead, this young man frozen in time, missing his most important time in life, his hands were partially out of his robes with his thumbs sticking out, he head bowing down slightly. Yes, he had some of  his friends here in death (sadlynot all) but Janna needed him more "On one condition, you will have to understand what Janna is... I will guide her to you to meet in the forest, help her find the stone, bring whoever you need to with you." Sirius' head lifted turning to Dumbledore "Mister Lupin must come with you, give Janna the reason she needs to bring everyone back"

Sirius pursed his lips, he thought for a while... Did Janna really want to meet her wayward uncle? Did she want to know of that whole family... He took in a deep breathe, for a while he wondered if he was a good influence for Janna. Sirius shrugged, he chuckled to himself at the idea of being a good influence for Janna, all he needed was Remus, James (if he could find him) and everyone around him now "I can give Janna a reason..." Sirius smiled "A good group of reasons"